Instructional Archive: "The Pita Pocket"

As part of an ongoing series, Inside Lacrosse is scouring its archives to bring you years worth of instructional tips that you may have missed. Below, Kyle Kapron explains the science on how to string the popular pita pocket. This article first appeared in the November 2005 issue of the Magazine.

Kyle Kapron is a first-team All-State attackman at Chandler High in Arizona. Chandler might not compete with McDonogh and West Genny for the No. 1 spot in IL’s high school poll, but Kapron’s stick-stringing skills could help put ’Zona on the map. Here, Kapron—who loves stringing so he can customize his own stick and continually work toward the perfect pocket—gives us the know-how to lace up a Pita Pocket.

A Pita Pocket, also known as a Dogtrack, is similar to the basic Traditional, but it uses a twist down the center, creating a track for the ball to run down. In addition to the center, the outer leathers are tied closely to the sidewall, giving better control. This is one of the easiest leather pockets you can string, although I recommend you perfect the Mesh Pocket before moving on to Traditional. So here we go, and, as always, look at the pictures if you get confused.

Materials:

To clear up confusion on the “nylon,” some places call it “crosslace” or “pocket nylon.” Do not use sidewall string for this.

Step 1: Installing the Leathers and Sidewalls

To install the leathers, you need to run them through the holes at the top of the head, then weave through the holes in the leathers. Next, wrap the leathers through the bottom holes of the head. For the sidewall, use the interlocking method that is used in Mesh pockets. You need to keep both of these tight.

Step 2: The Center Twist

Take the 64-inch piece of nylon and pull each side through the two middle leathers at the top in between the head and the leathers. Pull it tightly and even the sides up. Then take the two ends and pull them under the nylon in between the two leathers at the top, and, again, keep it tight. Now you will twist the nylon tightly about four times. To make a wider pocket, like Wide Traditional, add another twist. Once twisted, do the basic traditional knot, where you’d go over the leather and bring it up above where you went over with it. Keep going with this all the way down to the bottom of the stick.

There are two ways to finish the nylon at the bottom: you can cut them or tie them to the leathers. I’m not a fan of cutting into the leathers, so photos 2C and 2D show how I tie it off.

Step 3: The Outer Nylons

This is fairly simple once you learn the basic traditional knot, which you already used in the center twist. For the outer nylons, you’ll keep the leathers close to the sidewall. Continue all the way down, tie off and repeat for the other side.

EXPERT TIP:

Now, here’s my little trick: Put a ball and a butter knife in between the sidewalls and sidewall string. This will allow you to get a better pocket when you finish because the pocket has been strung for the exact depth of the ball. And then finish it up at the bottom of the stick.

Step 4: The Inner Nylons

For the inner nylons, you should string them at the same time; this will provide for an even pocket. Also, to interlock the nylons, you’ll have to do the knot on the opposite side of where you did it with the outer nylons/channel. Basically, you go from the underside, pull up through the other knot and back down again (instead of going over, down, then up). Continue with the ball in during this part, as it will help shape your pocket. At some spots, it will become hard to perform the knots while the ball is in place. To counter this, just pop the ball out, make the knot and then put the ball back in. Keep stringing until you reach the bottom and tie it off just like the center twist.